Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, fired an employee and launched an internal investigation after a patient was found dead in an emergency department bathroom Feb. 11, according to a statement from the health care company.
The death was first reported Feb. 20 by Asheville Watchdog and later confirmed in a Feb. 25 email to the Citizen Times by Mission Health spokesperson Nancy Lindell.
“The sudden death of a patient is devastating, and we grieve whenever there is a loss of life. We realize there are many questions that need to be answered, and we are examining every aspect of this incident,” Lindell said in a statement also shared with the Daily Caller.
Lindell added that the hospital’s internal review suggests “certain trained staff did not follow hospital protocols,” resulting in the termination of one employee.
Nurses working that evening anonymously told Asheville Watchdog that chronic understaffing and an overwhelmed emergency department played a critical role in the incident.
The emergency department was at capacity, with 25 to 40 patients waiting in the lobby at the busiest time of the night, including some with severe symptoms, according to nurses who spoke to Asheville Watchdog.
James Werner, a spokesperson with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said that staff with the department’s Division of Health Service Regulation were not onsite at Mission Hospital and that the agency could not comment on possible investigations, according to the Citizen Times.
This incident adds to growing regulatory and legal scrutiny over Mission Hospital’s emergency care operations.
In January 2024, a federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) report found multiple “immediate jeopardy” violations at Mission Hospital, citing alleged delays in emergency care that directly contributed to patient deaths, according to a report obtained by the Citizen Times. (RELATED: Louisiana Reports America’s First Bird Flu Death)
The violations led CMS to demand a correction plan from the hospital within 23 days. The “immediate jeopardy” status was lifted in February 2024, following a review by federal and state inspectors, according to the Citizen Times.
Separately, Mission Hospital is facing an ongoing lawsuit from Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers and his wife, Ashley, over an alleged medical negligence incident in 2020, as reported by the Citizen Times.
The lawsuit alleges that a five-hour delay in performing a cesarean section led to permanent brain damage for their child and severe complications for Ashley.
